


Maybe

by Koschei_Oakdown



Category: Green Lantern - All Media Types
Genre: Blood and Injury, Caring, Emotionally Compromised, Feelings, M/M, Sleepiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2020-04-07 23:11:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19094941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Koschei_Oakdown/pseuds/Koschei_Oakdown
Summary: After being saved by Sinestro, Hal returns the favour a few times and he's pretty much the only Lantern that Sinestro can trust.





	Maybe

**Author's Note:**

> Credit to DC Comics

Blood covered Hal's fingers, purple and familiar. He wiped it off onto the bright white sheets, leaving dark contrasting stains.

On the bed, Sinestro watched him, gaze unwavering. "I'll get you something for those wounds," Hal muttered and stood. It was the least he could do. Sinestro had just saved his life from an army of hostiles and he'd done it while unarmed.

If any other Green Lantern had been in Hal's position, he knew where they'd be. Dragging Sinestro back to Oa, regardless of being saved by him and regardless of it being a death sentence for the criminal. But Hal hadn't done that. He'd shoved Sinestro down on a bed in an abandoned hospital and was now preparing to tend to his wounds.

Why hadn't Hal just made his own escape and let Sinestro fend for himself? Maybe Hal couldn't stand by and let anyone die. Maybe he couldn't stand by and let Sinestro die, specifically.

Whatever the reason might've been for Hal's recent confounding decisions, he couldn't back out now. He was determined Sinestro wouldn't die on his watch.

Through the cupboards, Hal searched, looking for any working medical equipment. His ring was no help, he'd used the last of its charge on the flight here. Maybe he should've just flown back to Oa. But no. It was wrong to repay Sinestro like that, to respond to live saving with execution.

Though this planet had been abandoned for a very long time, Hal still somehow found a roll of bandages. They would have to do, just to stop the pooling of blood from Sinestro's wounds.

Hal snatched the bandages up and in his hand, they were soft. But they too were soon stained by the blood on Hal's fingers.

On returning to Sinestro's side, Hal was immediately worried by the Korugarian's tensed state. Nails digging into palms, Sinestro sat with his legs underneath him and he was huddled over. His hair was in disarray and his skin was tinged an odd sickly sort of colour. He looked seriously ill.

Onto the bed, Hal hopped, and his knees brushed against Sinestro's. They were cold and no space was left between the two Lanterns.

With quick hands, Hal began to prepare the bandages to be applied. They were snatched from him. "I can do it," Sinestro spoke quietly and was already picking up where Hal had left off, working at a much faster pace.

Content to let Sinestro have at it, Hal raised his hands in surrender and backed off, taking the seat beside the bed instead. It didn't bother him too much that Sinestro proceeded to ignore him. He was used to it.

Hal allowed his eyes to slip closed. After all, he was tired and he didn't even think letting his guard down around Sinestro would be a bad idea. It didn't occur to him. What he wanted was to go home to Earth and collapse on his bed so he could sleep like the dead and hopefully not wake up for a very long time.

Without Hal being aware of it, his head fell forward onto the mattress. One minute, he'd been sitting upright and the next, his face was buried in the clinical sheets and he had no desire to ever move again. Nowhere could be more comfortable.

There was a soft pressure to the top of Hal's head, stroking through his hair. "I wonder, Jordan, if choosing to come here was a deliberate act on your part."

No accusation soured Sinestro's tone and even remembering he was there did nothing to startle Hal. He'd all but forgotten Sinestro wasn't supposed to be touching him and that he should be pushing Sinestro away.

"'Course it was." Hal's voice never rose above a lazy murmur. "No civilian is gonna follow us here. They're too afraid."

With a yawn, Hal lifted his head and rubbed his tired eyes with his sleeve. "The radiation should be long gone by now," he added. "But events like this tend to linger in memory. Our mass evacuation wasn't forgotten."

When Hal had moved, Sinestro's hand had dropped onto the surface of the bed and he still looked worryingly sick, like he was about to keel over. The bandages did seem to be doing their job though. No blood had seeped through them yet and hopefully wouldn't in future.

"Quite," Sinestro agreed and was studying his own hand on the bed. It was as though he wasn't really seeing it, gaze slightly unfocused and hazy.

When Sinestro looked up, it was to fixate on Hal. "Out there, most know our names entwined because of the war we fight. Only some remember and think of what we once accomplished together. The two Green Lanterns they owe everything to. I much prefer the latter perspective."

Unfortunately, Hal was a little too tired for intelligent conversation. "Doesn't make much difference, does it? They're deluded if they think you're anything other than bad news."

Maybe if Hal hadn't been so tired, he'd have noticed Sinestro's flinch and how his words had struck a nerve. But he didn't and was now too busy pulling himself up. "I'm gonna see if I can find a communicator or something. You look like you're gonna pass out."

As Hal made to leave, he froze, certain he'd heard the sound of footsteps across the floor. He was instantly alert.

On the bed, Sinestro was just as still and the two of them listened intently. It was not just paranoia. The footsteps were there, along with hushed voices, and the door soon flew open.

Several Yellow Lanterns stood framed in the doorway and Hal would have to be careful so they wouldn't try to murder him. Using Sinestro as a hostage could be an option. The Yellow Lanterns would surely be hesitant to get their cult leader hurt. It would be stooping to Sinestro's level however and Hal wouldn't do it.

"It's Sinestro," one of the Yellow Lanterns muttered to the rest of the group. "He's injured." There was a murmur of discussion at this. "Stand aside, Green Lantern," Hal was ordered.

Hesitating, Hal glanced to Sinestro who was looking irritated. There didn't seem to be any reason to argue though. The Yellow Lanterns would probably just take Sinestro back to Qward, problem solved.

Something didn't seem quite right. So maybe the Yellow Lanterns always looked kind of evil but this was a new extreme. They were moving predatorily towards Sinestro and Hal caught a glimpse of a sharp construct clutched in the hand of one of them. It was not intended for Hal.

Hastily, Hal moved to block the path of the Yellow Lanterns, hands up in front of him to indicate they should really just stop. "How about we all just slow down? Sinestro lost his ring in the fight. Can you get him a new one?"

Several hostile stares were turned in Hal's direction and one of the Lanterns took a threatening step towards him. "Guess not," Hal recognised.

From a nearby table, Hal snatched up a scalpel and attacked. If he was to have any hope of winning, even against rookies who would have no idea how to use their rings, he needed the element of surprise. Really though, their lack of skill was an insult to Sinestro. Did he not train these glorified cult members or something?

Whatever the answer, Hal was glad the Yellow Lanterns were so useless. He never would've been able to pull this off if Sinestro had actually bothered putting work into his evil Corps. That was one thing to be grateful for.

In seconds, Hal had disarmed the lot of them. They went down as whimpering cowards at the smallest cut from the scalpel. None would be getting up soon, knocked unconscious.

From the closest Lantern, Hal stole a yellow ring. The bloody scalpel fell from his fingertips, clattered on the floor, and he curled his fingers around the ring in his hand. Then he turned back to Sinestro.

It seemed as though Sinestro hadn't moved a muscle, still on the bed and watching Hal with an unreadable expression.

"What?" Hal asked, wandering back over to Sinestro. "You know they were gonna attack you. I just saved your life."

Once again, Hal took a seat at Sinestro's side but didn't hand over the ring just yet. He wasn't even sure he wanted to do. It felt wrong to willingly give it over, the object Hal hated with passion because it kept getting in the way and taking Sinestro from him. But what other option did Hal have?

Without a proper weapon, in this universe where he'd made so many enemies, Sinestro would die. And Hal couldn't bear it.

This wasn't about morals, Hal could recognise that now. Not about how sick he was of death just in general. Nor that he empathised with Sinestro, knew how it felt to be so alone and clinging to power that just kept making everything worse.

The truth here was that Hal was just a compromised fool and it was going to get him killed one day. For now, he might as well accept it.

For another Green Lantern, handing over the ring would be unthinkable. And for good reason. Sinestro would kill them immediately after, to make a point, maybe, or just because they'd seen him so weak.

Such reasons didn't apply to Hal. Every point in the world was lost on him and and he'd seen Sinestro in far worse states than this. Here, he was safe.

The ring was pressed into Sinestro's hand, bright yellow soon smeared with purple. "Thanks for saving my life,"  Hal said.

After all this time, Sinestro's hand was still so familiar to Hal. The fingers felt exactly the same as they always had, even coated in blood as they were and he continued thoughtfully, "You didn't have to do that. Well, you did, if you wanted me alive. But I'm not sure why you -"

It was automatic, not a conflicting thought involved, to relax into it when Sinestro kissed him. Maybe it was stupid. Maybe Hal should've kept his guard up but being careful just wasn't in his nature. Besides, why should he deny how great this was?

Kissing Sinestro recalled the best period of Hal's life and he couldn't move on from it. Even if he should, really should, and anyone else would've done so by now.

Just as Hal moved closer, one hand coming up to wrap around the back of Sinestro's neck, his touch so undeservedly gentle, Sinestro pulled away. "Don't be obtuse," he instructed, straightforward and matter of fact as he slipped the ring onto his finger. "It does not become you."

And Hal was left feeling confused, flushed and unsure. He did nothing as Sinestro stood with great visible effort, only asked, "Where are you going?" once Sinestro was halfway to the door.

Should Hal stop him? Or at least try to? It wasn't a fight he was certain to win, even with Sinestro injured. Hal was unarmed. Sinestro no longer was.

"Home," Sinestro responded curtly, pausing for that brief moment. "You know it as Qward, I suppose."

Sinestro's hand was on the doorframe and he'd turned around so he could, apparently, study the unmoving Lanterns he'd just walked over. "Would you like to be returned to Earth, Jordan?" he asked without even looking at Hal.

It was offered dismissively, as though it was no big deal. Maybe it wasn't. Maybe Sinestro had some ulterior motive for being nice.

At that moment, Hal really didn't care what Sinestro might've been up to. He wasn't interested in picking a fight. Everyone else could deal with that. So Hal nodded, stepped over the unconscious Lanterns too and joined Sinestro in the doorway.


End file.
